About

About

I believe that if you become comfortable you are no longer growing.

My name is Dan Maki and I’ve been a successful wedding DJ for over 16 years. I love being a DJ and I’m good at it. I have played music for countless people and enjoy creating a fun environment for them to let go, have fun, create memories, and dance! I excel at interpersonal communication and I am comfortable talking on a microphone in front of large groups of people that I’ve never seen before. I love working with the ebb and flow of energy on a dance floor, bringing them up, cooling them down, then bringing them back up again. Sounds fun right? It is! I get to share a momentous occasion in peoples lives and I work hard to make it a truly fun night for everyone.

Then the night ends. The wedding couple, the guests, and the venue staff leave. I pack up my equipment and go home. It is over. While the smiling faces and tired feet tell me I made a positive impact on their lives and helped make the night special, memorable and unique – that is the end of my contribution for all of them. It is a relatively fleeting moment of our lives that drifts into the past.

I want to do more.I want to make a positive lasting influence in peoples lives. I want to create real tangible memories that can be experienced over and over as time passes.

I want to create beautiful photos for you!

What started as a desire to have better pictures of my DJ gigs for promotional purposes has developed into a new fulfilling passion! I’ve discovered I have an eye for it and I love doing it. I’ve worked as hard to develop my photography skills as I have on my DJ skills. I want to photograph weddings. I want to take family portraits. I want to do engagement photos, senior photos, lifestyle photos, and create beautiful unique conceptual portraiture. Photos for any special event big or small.

A little more about me.I’m married (20+ years) and have two teenage kids, all of whom seem to generally appreciate my presence on a day to day basis probably because I make them laugh regularly. I take my coffee very seriously (blame it on my Finnish heritage) and due to growing up in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan I tend to have a classic “Yooper” accent but I think (hope) my current long-term Wisconsin residency has tempered it some. I do call it soda now and not pop, but I still pronounce sauna the right way (it is “SOW-na”). I am a master campfire builder and can definitely hold my own on the grill (proper charcoal only please – no propane). I have a ridiculous record collection that I may never get all the way through but I have made it one of my life goals to listen to every record at least ONCE.

I’d love to discuss how I can work with you to create something we both find fulfilling and enduring. Head over to my Contact Page and let us get started!